Display device



E. WHITMYRE DISPLAY DEVICE June 20, 1939.

Filed Nov. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. WHITMYRE DISPLAY DEVICE June 20, 1939.

Filed Nov. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 20, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY DEVICE Application November 2, 1938, Serial No. 238,480

5 Claims.

This invention appertains to a medium for expressing thought or intellectual conceptions, and more especially, to instrumentalities for conveniently displaying printed text matter and/or pictures in a continuous sequence.

Still more specifically, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new medium by which stories and/or pictures may be displayed or communicated to children, and which has a somewhat stronger appeal and attractiveness to children than a book of conventional form.

My invention. may be characterized as a book, yet it is endowed with a number of novel features which are not found in an ordinary book. To 15 this end, the invention contemplates the provision of an outer casing of sheet material, such as cardboard, folded into box-like form of the approximate size of a conventional story book, said casing being preferably decorated or otherwise marked to simulate a conventional book. Removably mounted within the casing is a frame, also composed of sheet material such as cardboard, which constitutes a support for a pair of spaced rolls upon which a flexible strip or sheet is wound, said sheet having text matter and/or pictures printed or otherwise carried thereby, so as to be presented to view in a continuous sequence through an opening formed in one face of the outer casing when the rolls are manipulated to wind the strip or sheet from one roll onto the other roll.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken aproxirnately on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views, taken respectively on the lines 33 and 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a detail view in top plan of the insertible frame and roll assembly which is preferably of unitary form;

Figure 6 is a plan View of the frame as it is initially formed from a fiat sheet of material and prior to folding thereof, and particularly showing its preferred one-piece construction; and

Figure I is a plan view of the outer casing as it is initially preferably formed from a fiat sheet and prior to folding thereof, and illustrating its preferred one-piece construction.

55 Like reference characters designate correspond- CF I ing parts in the several figures of the drawings, wherein I generally designates an outer casing or housing which is preferably composed of sheet material such as cardboard, folded into box-like form. As best seen in Figure '7, the casing is preferably of one-piece construction and includes a front wall section 2 having an opening 3 of substantial size provided therein; an end wall 4 constituting a continuation of the front wall 2; a rear wall 5 and another end wall 6, each being 10 continuations of the other. The front wall 3 is provided with an extension "I which serves as an attachment flap to secure the walls together into box-like form when folded along the transverse fold lines 8, 9, it and H, respectively. The flap l may be provided with a suitable adhesive so as to enable the same to be attached to the end wall 6, as will be best understood from reference to Figure 2. The end walls t and 6 are each preferably provided with lateral tabs l2, I 2 and I3, i3, respectively, which are adapted to be folded inwardly on the lines M, M and 55, I5 respectively, so as to aid in closing and to reinforce the corners of the casing.

At one side of the front wall 2 there is provided an integral extension l6 which is adapted to be folded on the line ll to constitute one of the side walls of the casing, the extension being provided with a tuck flap l8 which is adapted to be folded on the line it so as to enable the same to be tucked into the casing in surface engagement with the rear wall 5, as will be best understood from reference to Figures 3 and a.

Laterally extending from the opposite side of the rear wall 5, is another extension 26 adapted to be folded on the line 2! to constitute the other side wall of the casing, and this extension 20 is provided with a tuck flap 22 adapted to be folded on the line 23 to permit the same to be tucked into the casing in surface engagement with the front wall 2. The extension 2@ which forms one of the side walls of the casing is provided with spaced apertures 24, 25 for a purpose which will hereinafter more fully appear. The tuck flaps l8 and 22 may or may not be provided with an adhesive to permit the same to be permanently secured to their respective contiguous casing walls if this is desired upon completion of the entire assembly.

The Walls of the casing may be suitably decorated, if desired, to simulate the covers of a conventional book, and the front wall may carry a title of a story, as indicated at 26 in Figure 1, and/or such other informative matter as may be pertinent and/or conducive to the identification of the matter which is to be contained in the casing. Thus it will be seen from reference to Figure 1 that when the casing has been folded and assembled into its box-like form, it will closely simulate the appearance of the exterior of a conventional story book.

Removably mounted in the casing l, is a frame, generally designated 21, the frame being preferably composed of cardboard or similar sheet material which may be cut or stamped in a flat one-piece form as shown in Figure 6. The frame primarily is composed of spaced relatively narrow strips 28 and 29 interconnected by a web 3E1 of substantial surface area which partially closes one side of the frame when folded into the form shown in Figure 5. The strip 29 is adapted to be folded on the line 3| so as to lie at substantially a right angle to the interconnecting web 30, and the strip is provided at its opposite extremities with extensions 32, 33 which are adapted to be folded on the respective lines 34, 35 to assume positions at right angles to the strip 29.

Similarly, the strip 28 is foldable on the line 36, so as to assume a position at a right angle to the web 30 and parallel to the strip 29, and the strip 28 is also provided with extensions 37, 33 at its opposite ends, which are foldable on the respective lines 39, 30 so as to overlap with the extensions 32 and 33, as will be best understood from reference to Figure 5, the overlapping portions being suitably afiixed together.

The strip 28 is provided with spaced apertures 4!, 42, and when the frame 27 is folded into the form shown in Figure 5, and is inserted into the casing l, the apertures 4!, 4'2 will register with the respective apertures 24, 25 in the side wall 29 of the casing. The strips 28, 29 and their extensions constitute the walls of the frame which is generally rectangular, and the walls will lie substantially parallel to the end and side walls of the casing l and closely adjacent to the inner sides thereof when the frame is inserted into the casing.

Suitably attached to the strip 29, is a pair of spaced studs or bosses 53, M which are adapted to project inwardly from the strip 29 opposite to the respective apertures 4!, 42 in the strip 28. The studs or bosses 43, 54 may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal, wood, fiber, or the like, and their attachment to the strip 29 may be effected in any convenient manner. In the case of wood studs, they may be glued or tacked to the frame. Each of the studs or bosses 43 and M is adapted to be loosely received in one end of a cylindrical tube or hollow roll, which are respectively designated 45 and 46, and upon these rolls there is wound a strip or web of material ll having text and/or picture matter printed or otherwise provided thereon. The strip or web ll may be composed of paper, cloth, parchment, or any other suitable flexible material, which is adapted to be wound upon the rolls 45, 45 so that by rotation of the rolls, the strip will be unwound from one roll and wound upon the other. For the purpose of supporting the ends of the rolls 35 and d6 opposite to their ends which are rotatably mounted on the lugs or studs :13 and G5, I provide spindles 48 and 49 which are adapted to be received through the respective openings ll and 42 and into the adjacent ends of the rolls 35 and 55. The apertures Al and 42 are of such size as to closely embrace the spindles ii and 49, but enable the spindles to be rotated therein. The

inner extremities of the spindles are adapted to fit tightly in the ends of the rolls so that rotation of the spindles will impart rotation to the rolls. If desired, the spindles may be adhesively or otherwise positively afiixed to the rolls. The outer extremity of each of the spindles is provided with a knob 50, 51 for convenience of rotation of the spindles. As shown in the drawings, the apertures 24 and 25 in the side wall 20 of the outer casing l are sufficiently large to enable the knobs 50, on the respective spindles 4B, 49 to pass therethrough, thus permitting the wall 26 to be folded across the side of the casing and its flap 22 tucked into the casing after the frame and roll assembly has been inserted into the casing so as to dispose the strip or web 41 across the opening 3 in the front 2 of the casing. The interconnecting web 30 which extends between the strips 28, 29 of the frame 21, at the upper edges thereof, serves to support the strip or web M in a flat condition just beneath the opening 3. The casing may be maintained in its closed position after insertion of the frame and roll assembly by the frictional engagement of the tuck flap 22 with the contiguous wall of the casing, or it may be permanently affixed to the wall of the casing by means of an adhesive, as previously described.

The operation of the invention will be obvious from the foregoing description in the light of the illustrations in the drawings and may be briefly summarized as follows: After assembly of the casing and frame and roll unit has been completed, rotation of the knob 56 at the upper end of the assembly as viewed in Figure 1 will cause the strip or web l? to be withdrawn from the roll 45 and wound upon the roll 4'6. As the strip 47 passes across the opening 3 in the front wall of the casing, the printed matter on the strip will be presented to view progressively, and by rotating the knob 59 from time to time, the story and/or pictures borne by the strip or web t? will be revealed in sequential order.

After the strip or web 4! has been unwound from one roll, as for example, 45, onto the other roll, as for example, 46, it may be rewound onto the roll 45 by suitable manipulation of the knob 5 It is to be understood that while the invention herein described is especially adapted for use by children, its use is not necessarily so confined, as it is equally adaptable as a medium for displaying any type of intellectual conceptions to adults. The intellectual conceptions may have the form. of advertising matter, compositions of fact or fiction, with or without pictorial or graphic illustrations.

While the specific details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not con fined thereto, as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A device of the class described, comprising a casing of box-like form having an opening in face thereof, a frame insertable in and removable from said casing, a pair of hollow rolls rotatably mounted in said frame, a flexible strip or web carried by said rolls and arranged across the opening in the casing and adapted to be wound from one roll to the other, and means opfrorn. the exterior of said casing for rotating said rolls, said last named means comprising a spindle for each roll rotatably supported by the frame and having one end projecting into the end of its roll and its other end extended through a side wall of the casing and terminating in an operating instrumentality.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a casing of box-like form having an opening in one face thereof, a frame insertable in and removable from said casing, said frame including spaced walls disposed substantially parallel to the opposite side walls of the casing and an inter vening connecting web dispose-d parallel to the plane of the casing opening and having a surface area approximately equal to the area of the opening and registering with the latter in close proximity thereto, said frame walls each having a foldable extension at each end thereof adapted to be secured in overlapped relation to the extension at the corresponding end of the opposite wall, and said extensions occupying positions substantially parallel to the respective end walls of the casing, a pair of rolls rotatably mounted in said frame, a flexible strip or web carried by said rolls and arranged across the opening in the casing and adapted to be wound from one roll to the other with the portion of the strip or web intermediate the rolls supported by the connecting web of the frame as it moves across the casing opening responsive to rotation of the rolls, and means operable from the exterior of said casing for rotating said rolls.

A device of the class described, comprising a casing of box-like form composed of folded sheet material forming interconnected front, back, end and side walls, said front wall having an opening therein, and one of said side walls having a pair of spaced apertures therein, 'a frame slidable into and out of said casing, said frame being composed of folded sheet material providing spaced side walls arranged substantially parallel to the side walls of the casing and closely adjacent to the inner sides of the latter, one of said side walls of the frame having a pair of apertures therein adapted to register with the apertures aforesaid, said frame including a member of substantial surface area interconnecting its side walls and adapted to be disposed substantially parallel to and in close proximity to the opening in the front wall of the casing at the inner side thereof, a pair of parallel rolls rotatably mounted in said frame adjacent to the respectively opposite ends thereof, a flexible strip or web carried by said rolls and adapted to be wound from one to the other with its intervening portion interposed between the interconnecting member of the frame and the opening in the front wall of the casing, and spindle means extending through the respectively registered apertures in the side wall of the frame and the side wall of the casing and operatively engaging the rolls to impart rotation thereto responsive to rotation of the spindle means.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a frame including space-d side walls and an inter connecting member of substantial area extending thereacross at the corresponding edges of said walls and intermediate the opposite ends thereof, the side walls of the frame being extended at their respective ends towards the opposite wall, with the extensions disposed in overlapping relation and secured together to form a generally rectangular open frame with the interconnecting member partially covering one side of the frame, but leaving an opening through the frame of substantial size at each end thereof, a pair of parallel spaced rolls rotatably supported by said walls and disposed therebetween, a flexible strip or web carried by said rolls and adapted to be wound from one to the other with the portion of the strip or web intermediate the rolls disposed in surface engagement with the interconnecing member aforesaid, and means for rotating said rolls.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a frame including spaced side walls and an interconnecting member extending thereacross at the corresponding edges of said walls and intermediate the opposite ends thereof, a pair of parallel spaced hollow rolls rotatably supported by said side walls and disposed therebetween, a flexible strip or web carried by said rolls and adapted to be wound from one to the other with the portion of the strip or web intermediate the rolls disposed in surface engagement with the interconnecting member aforesaid, a pair of spaced lugs or bosses carried by one of said frame Walls and loosely received in the ends of the respective hollow rolls whereby to rotatably support the same, and a pair of spaced spindles journaled in the opposite side wall of the frame in opposed relation to the respective lugs or bosses aforesaid and having their inner extremities snugly received within the other ends of the rolls whereby to impart rotation to the rolls responsive to rotation of the spindles.

EVERETT WHITMY RE. 

